STORM ELEANOR has left an estimated 55,000 homes and businesses are without power this morning after high winds of up to 155km/h and coastal flooding caused chaos across the country.
The areas worst affected include parts of counties Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan.
Met Eireann has issued a warning this morning that dangerous conditions and more coastal flooding is likely.
Extremely windy if not stormy for a time today, with westerly winds bringing damaging gusts. Coastal damage and further flooding along the Atlantic coastline. Squally thundery downpours too, with surface flooding, becoming confined to the northwest later. Highs of 7 to 10 °C.
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) January 3, 2018
ESB Networks suggests there may be further damage to the electricity network in north Leinster after the storm tracked eastwards overnight.
Much of the worst damage is in Galway where several homes and businesses in the city centre were under water last night leaving homes and businesses under water and drivers stranded.
#Galway city centre has gone under. Avoid. #StormEleanor pic.twitter.com/Of0Xy2h0WS
— Michael Scott 🇺🇦 (@mick_scott) January 2, 2018
The coast road from the city to Oranmore was also impassable at rush hour as high tide combined with the strong winds to cause local flooding.
Holy sugar. Galway in the grips of #StormEleanor.
This badass mini driver doesn't give a flip about your waves pic.twitter.com/eT3pQLvd2I— Paul O'Donoghue (@paulodonoghue93) January 2, 2018
High tide has passed in Galway city with no repeat of last night's flooding. The tide did not inundate parts of the city that were badly affected last night.
Emergency personnel from the local authority remained on duty in the city and there are still some road closures in Salthill.
The areas hit hardest by flooding during high tide were Galway, Limerick and Cork.
Now THAT....is a high tide in Cork. Touching the road at St Patrick's Quay ...#12hourtweet #StormEleanor pic.twitter.com/bMxwVy5r1b
— Richard Jacob (@IdahoNua) January 2, 2018
In Northern Ireland about 21,000 customers, mainly across the border counties, were left without electricity supplies for the night.
NI Electricity said the number of reported power outages would increase by this morning.
A Status Orange weather warning remains in operation across nine counties until 2pm.
The counties include Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick.
Flooding ‘back the West’ in Galway City. #stormeleanor pic.twitter.com/4OBBF7Cb2e
— Enda Cunningham (@endacunningham) January 2, 2018
